lilacs in a storm

[briarreed]

The way I feel about him is like a heart beat - soft and persistent, underlying everything.

- Becky Albertalli

[briarreed]

[akiss-from-a-rose]

"Hm. That sounds Greek to me," Aaliyah said, a small tease to her words as she used the idiom. But, ah, yes. Aaliyah did indeed remember that witch. Another annoyance that had been attempting to dance on her bar, not dissimilar to a smaller, mouthier annoyance she'd kicked out more than once. "Can't be higher than ours, babe. Witches just aren't built that way." Her face stayed schooled, but Aaliyah was amused by the expressions that came over Briar's face. "It's a smart enough idea, certainly. Eating is good, too. Human foods. They do fuck all for your appetite, but I always found that it sort of tricks your mind a little if you think you're filling yourself in some way." Of course, she'd never been able to just keep blood on hand when she was new to vampirism. It had been a different time. She'd learned different ways. "That was so long ago," Aaliyah mused. "The '90s. Salt-N-Pepa was still on the radio pretty regularly." She considered her brownie, just a regular brownie from the smell, before she added, "It's always difficult. Anyone who tells you it isn't is lying to you. Your body's changed. It died, and then it came back, and now everything is overwhelming. It stays overwhelming for quite some time. Things are missing, and you'll never get them back, not in the same way. But I think you've gotten rather lucky. You have your Jules, your Stanley." Her tone was joking but sincere. "You have a support system that very few are granted. You're very lucky that your sire is someone you love, someone you know. There are things that you can take for granted in this new life. Don't let that be one of them."

[briarreed]

Briar nodded a small smile as she did, her cheeks puffed outward. "I'd not tried to test the new tolerance to its limits yet. I was mostly a light weight before." Briar frowned. Do vampires have different, higher, but different tolerances? Like, would I still be a lightweight for a vampire? Because I'd rather know now than end up under a table some random night having pushed it too far." She shifted her cup, this had been a help, but she paced herself keeping it on hand in case anyone skinned a knee and all sense of self went right out the window in a frenzy, "It gives me something to do with my mouth," she offered, "chocolate isn't as good as it once was, but it isn't terrible," she frowned a bit, "The nineties? So, like Clueless and Friends, " she tried to imagine Aaliyah watching either and wrinkled her nose, deciding she couldn't. Nodding she smiled more earnestly, her Jules, whatever followed was just extra.

Lovesick, she thought dreamily and shook her head. For all she had lost she did stand to gain a fair amount in return. It had felt like she'd faced a lifetime of losses these last two years. Miles, briefly Poppy, Kyle's life on her hands, her mother, her own life and Mason...she'd barely had a moment to grieve one thing from the next. Life doesn't stop, even when you've fallen to your knees to beg. Briar nodded, taking the words with sincerity, "I'd never, I know I'm fortunate. You have to be incredibly strong to manage it under less than supportive circumstances," Briar traded over her words gently. "I died and while that is typically such a lonely thing, I've felt the most supported I've ever felt. I have a lot to be thankful for," she admitted with a flush of color. Having it all almost made her feel guilty for mourning the magic she lost,t he choice that was taken from her; "You have any more wisdom I can ask for, I might have a penny to trade for your thoughts?" Briar joked fondly as she pulled a coin purse shaped like a small clasped purse.

[moonglowmagic]

─── · 。ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Poppy looked up from her phone when she felt Briar nudge her and she flipped the phone over to give the other her full attention. While she would have preferred to be paired with a witch or Nico, here she was paired with her sister. She half expected this to go horribly given their past interactions, but she’d figured they both needed a partner since their others were off limits. “Hey,” She greeted back after a moment when she realized she hadn’t spoke. “I’m fine with some tea.” She nodded. “Do you still like tea since everything? I mean I know you don’t have to really eat or drink like a normal person.” She knew from experience that not all vampires liked pretending that they still enjoyed normal food and drinks. “If you would prefer blood in your tea I don’t mind giving you some. After all today was a lot anyways.” She offered with a shrug. Figuring Altan or Jake would just heal her in the morning. “Up to you tho.”

[briarreed]

Briar nodded, sucking her cheeks in between her teeth, "I like tea," she exhaled softly. It wasn't the same, nothing consumable was the same, but she still enjoyed the ritual of it all. The normalcy of putting the kettle on, the whistle of boiling water filling the air, the way it all smelled, reminding her of a life she could still grasp the edges of and recall with a sort of nostalgia of a time you'll never get back. Briar went through the motions, "I mean, none of it tastes the same. I like the practice of it. Of making something for my loved ones, going to the movies and eating popcorn was never about a need anyway," Briar smiled briefly, "It's just the experience of being here," she explained honestly as the kettle whistled and she poured the water in then added the tea to steep. "I'm okay," she denied politely and placed the tea and all the accommodating additives to the table. Briar added honey to hers, stirring it slowly, carefully to not allow the spoon to clink the edges of her mug, "I was happy you asked me to partner with you," Briar admitted before taking a sip from her mug and adding more honey than she normally would have using a clean spoon.

[dusktildcwn]

Cece thoroughly enjoyed the beach, and it was in this moment that she wondered why she didn't come and visit more often. The waves were soothing as they hit the sand and the slightly salt air was energizing. People always said the ocean could be healing, perhaps they were right. She was about to walk into the water and squeal at the wet sand between her toes when she heard a voice speak up next to her. Eyes landing on Briar, Cece's found herself slightly nervous as she handed the redhead the shovel. It's not that she was scared of Briar, but had always found her to be deeply intimidating during their time together in the coven. And now so much had changed, Cece realized she had yet to speak to her since Briar became a vampire. "Of course." She spoke softly, grabbing the shovel and handing it to Briar. "What are you planning to create?" She asked, partially because her curiosity got the better of her, but also because it felt like a safe topic of conversation.

[briarreed]

Briar found herself trying to read her body language, she half expected people to balk at her now, especially those in the coven. She wondered what they thought; thank the stars or whatever the believed in that it wasn't them? It could have been them, she thought. It could have been Cece Van Doren who had lost her life that terrible night. Would she have had vampire blood in her system? Would she have been spared the descent into the otherness of death? Briar blinked, a small friendly smile on her face. She couldn't be sure if she would have been spared; at least it wasn't her, she thought and sat up on her knees and made a futile attempt to brush sand off her hands before sweeping falling red tendrils away from her face. "I was thinking of the Cathedral of St Patrick, but it might be ambitious?"

[georgianaortiz]

Dark eyes sparkled in delight as she heard how well her cupcakes had been received. The kitchen was a place she was very familiar though not as a chef. She'd never touched a stove. Not in her human life, or her immortal one. The vampire just had an indulgent sweet tooth, and she knew the best baker in town. "I'll convey your compliments to the chef."

Glimmer dimming, Georgiana followed Briar's nod. "Your maker?" The softest of smiles bloomed at the thought of makers and their progeny. Of which, the brunette was both. "I needed a lot of help, too." The older vampire admitted. "I didn't transition well." It was all the grief, she realized in hindsight, unable to give up her old life and embrace her new one. She grieved her children for decades, but with the support of a new, chosen family Gia acclimated. Realizing, once she did, that she'd been made for this life. "Unlike you, I see. Just two months? You're doing well, Briar." She recalled the younger woman from the last time she'd been in town, many years ago. Once a girl, now all grown up. Time had clearly changed so much. "Vampirism becomes you."

[briarreed]

Briar flushed pink in the cheeks, green eyes dropping to her shoes, her maker; he was more than that, and her heart fluttered warmly in her chest. Her maker, lifesaver, love of her life, and still so much more than she hadn't had the words for all the things he was to her. She brought her eyes back to Gia's face and rose a shoulder, "Yes but more," Briar replied softly, her eyes momentarily finding him in the crowd of people, that familiar tug in the pit of her stomach. "Jules," she nodded towards him, "He's my boyfriend, and I guess yes, maker," Briar hadn't thought of him in those terms, he'd saved her life that night. Been desperate to make sure the curse didn't claim her life, not entirely and because of him she was able to stand here now and draw a breath. From time to time, she'd feel a hitch, a stutter in the exhale that left her momentarily panicked like she was suffocating all over again. She wasn't she reminded herself, she was okay. As if to remind herself, Briar drew a deep sobering breath and volleyed her gaze to Gia's face with warmth.

"I find it impossible to imagine anyone would," Briar admitted quietly, "You give up so much to become this," she chewed her bottom lip, "I can't bring myself to resent it, but I'm coming to terms with the reality of missing something and accepting the thing that took it all from you," Briar claimed, though she wasn't so sure how at terms she was. She was trying. Briar dropped her hand, shielding a smile, the compliment brought her face up like a flower to the sun, "Thank you," she spoke sincerely, she was doing her best, "I have little things that help," she tapped the loops in her ears, "Dulls some noise," she twisted the pendant around her neck, "my cup and I keep essential oils...I know it's moot, but sometimes it helps with the stronger, non-pulling smells..."

[briarreed]

“Maybe this is fate, too. Me, you, the flowers of it all. Maybe I have no control in any of it- but I don’t have it in me to not try anyway. I wonder what that says about me-”

[dvsconocvdo]

The whole idea of forever was something Noel wasn't able to fully grasp. Maybe that was why the idea of her becoming a vampire had never caught her eyes. Sure, the speed and healing were cool, but what do you with forever? She was sure she could find stuff to waste time on, but the actual thing that held her back was her family. Her dads were already old, she didn't want to also see her siblings pass away due to her condition. Still, in this moment, all Noel could think about was how as a ghost she could out resent Briar for these damn cupcakes. "Noooo. Five cupcakes or else!" She grinned at Briar and watched as she stuffed the cupcake in her mouth. Without meaning to, she burst out laughing, shaking her head. "You're silly. Buen provecho."

At the mention of edible gummies, Noel gave her a proud smile. "Oh, I know. But edible gummies are so different than brownies." At the you're getting old, Noel dramatically gasped. "Excuse you? I'm so young, I'm still a spring chicken." She joked before shaking her head. Aging never truly bothered Noel, she was going to die due to something, why worry about the unstoppable? "Oh, so this is what it is? Bratty behavior over the dessert table?" At Briar's concern, Noel's eyes glinted mischievously. "I think we should both climb it. I mean, now's the time, no? They'll never see it coming. Do you think you can get there before me? It'll be fun. Besides, what's the worst that could happen?"

"Those are cute! I wish we had some. Listen, carrying a horse over the finish line is genius, but don't tell him I said that. I'll never live it down." The werewolf nodded. She wondered how it felt to be surrounded by so many people after just being turned. There were so many humans too. Thankfully, Briar seemed to be doing fine, but looks could be deceiving couldn't they? Briar was a performer after all. "I always have fun. But yeah, it's been good. Nearly lost my damn head at dodgeball, which was a lot of fun." It felt really silly to be doing so many sports with the whole town, but Noel had laughed a lot seeing how each team had cheated. "Well, you're always on my team. Even without a friendship bracelet." She teased.

[briarreed]

Briar's eyes narrowed in what she felt was a menacing look, "Or else what?" she said behind her hand, covering the mouth full of cupcakes she was struggling to get down. She'd rather suffer through a mouth full of cake and frosting than admit defeat or show weakness in this little game she had found herself in. Her scowl did not soften as she swallowed the cupcake down, and then and only then did she grab a cold can from a nearby cooler to wash it all down with something fizzy, "I did enjoy, thanks," she smiled sweetly, dusting the cupcake crumbs off her fingers.

Briar shook her head, made a small clucking noise that sounded like the gasping clucks of an old chicken and dramatically twirled a strand of red hair around her finger. "Of course I would beat you to the top, Noel. I'm so fast now," she rolled her eyes. She was fast before, teleporting her and there she never needed to run or learn to drive! "The worst that could happen?!" Briar balked loudly, "Noel you could fall, break something or worse," Briar quietly seethed the words, her fingers accidentally crushing her soda can in her anxious grasp sending bubbly cherry coke over her fingers and wrist. Briar groaned, "I am not going to be responsible for your injury or worse," she warned, shaking the liquid off her hand and tossing the ruined can in the trash with a frown. "We can test whose faster, stronger other ways that don't end with a Noel pancake," Briar's nose wrinkled as she spoke, she smiled after a second, "But even if you won, I still had the last cupcake and you didn't." Briar teased with a small, easy laugh.

"We can make some, me you and Jules. I bet he'd love it," Briar warmed, spinning the little beads around her wrist. "I'm going to tell him," Briar answered dead pan without looking up from her bracelet. She slowly lifted her face breaking into a smile to show she was maybe teasing. Who knows? Maybe she would tell him in a moment that suited her, for the laugh and joy of it. The mention of dodge ball and her eyes shifted sharply around the cookout as if the culprit would reveal themselves. She just wanted to talk about sportsmanship. Briar furrowed a truly menacing glare, "Who tried to take your head off?" she insisted with a frown, her arms crossed over her chest. Phantom ache for electricity where it wasn’t prompting her to crack her fingers with pops that didn’t satiate the loss of magic. "I hate that damned game. It's an excuse to smack people with balls,” her glare turned to a pout turned up at Noel “I hated it in school too," she smoothed her features, tilting her head towards her shoulder with a smile, "Yea?" she questioned with a twirl of her body, "You're on my team too-" she offered sincerely before she rolled her eyes with a dramatic sigh, "Come over tomorrow and we will make friendship bracelets.” She invited her over in earnest, “As many as we can fit on our wrists...I might even have cupcakes. I want to do some of the event things tomorrow. Like puppy yoga, I think Jules would love it, and then of course the talent show. But the night is all free, I’d love to break out the beads with you.”

[julianrchandlerx]

As she offered him the drink, Julian gently shook instead. “No, that’s okay, it’s all for you, don’t worry ‘bout me, babe,” he said, gently pecking her cheek to show appreciation for the gesture. He still had a complicated relationship with this aspect of himself, but he didn’t let that show then, the decline seeming more casual and like he wasn’t that thirsty. But he always was, in the back of his mind. Always so damn thirsty. He settled with ignoring it. Instead, his mind drifted to the copious amount of corn hole he played, glancing back towards where some of his former competitors were still going. “Oh, like…. I dunno,” he blew a raspberry, “10, 12, maybe 15 people? Lots of them wanted to go up against me. Unfortunately for them I’m a white dude who peaked with picnic games.” He flashed an amused grin, showing he was just teasing. “Yeah? The Sandlot, too? Or maybe The Rookie? Oh, oh — A League Of Their Own!” His eyebrows rose, “Geena Davis was so hot.” He dropped his smirk then, knowing how jealous Briar could get sometimes and recovered quickly with a, “Not as stunning as you, of course. You’re the ultimate babe… Next time we play baseball, you should wear one of them old timey uniforms, just sayin’.”

Jules shrugged a burly shoulder, reaching with his opposite hand to stroke what he thought for a moment were still sore muscles. He’d never tried anything quite like the horse stunt, and all to lose… Bouncing back was a little tough, but by Capture the Flag he’d had all of his strength back. Maybe the soreness he felt was just a phantom pain, a reminder of what it had been like after carrying a massive beast over hurdles. “I’m alright,” he concluded, but raised an eyebrow as a boyish grin grew over his face. “Like a hot bath or a hot bath?” He asked in a low voice, conscious of people nearby. In his boyish mind it sounded like something innocent enough to not be picked on, but of course anyone with half a brain could figure out his words’ meaning. He frowned as Briar insisted the little demon marshmallow fluff he’d gifted her loved him. With a gentle roll of his eyes, Julian only replied with, “If you say so.” And then sighed before adding, “If only she could hunt me a chocolate lava cake.” He was thoughtful on her suggestion before nodding, “Yeah that may just be a requirement. A little kitten hazard, I guess. Is she still a kitten? How do cats progress?” He never had a cat before, he knew next to nothing about them.

He grinned wide, bobbing his head in a nod. “What did Alfalfa say in Little Rascals? ‘What’s your’s is mine and what’s mine is our’s?’” Jules thought he had the quote right, gently taking a hold of her chin to ever so gently place a kiss on her lips after she complimented him and played with his hair. “I’m trying,” he replied in a sigh against her soft lips, but didn’t elaborate further. This had been fun, things had been good, he didn’t want to dwell on heartbreaking things. “Always is a big promise, Miss Reed,” and he took comfort in the fact that when she said it, she truly meant forever. Hiding his shameful face against her neck, he just grunted at her words, softening at the feeling of her hands rubbing up and down her back soothingly. “Incorrigible,” he muttered against her shoulder, placing a kiss there despite his words.

“Let’s head home, then.” Jules nodded his head in the general direction out of the cookout, officially done with the whole thing. “Was that what it was like to be in the coven?” He asked curiously, considering she had now been part of two of the ‘groups’ in town. Her words startled him, Julian’s blue eyes heavy with unshed emotion as he gazed back at her. She knew him all too well, knew the weight he carried in him since dying. Briar always wanted to help lighten his load but he’d refused. He didn’t want her to see the depths of his insecurity. Oh how he wished that he could see himself the way she did him, but as she spoke so warmly and fondly to him, he thought that maybe for a second he could. Smiling, he kissed her back, hands staying at the small of her back to pull her close. “You make me feel like maybe I truly am the best man around,” he said with a sideways grin, leaning forward so their foreheads touched. “I hope you’re right, about all of it,” he said in a soft whisper before briefly hugging her, mumbling, “I love you, Rose,” against her hair during the small moment. As they pulled apart and she took his hands, he dutifully laced his fingers with hers and began to trudge across the barbecue with her, nodding his head and smiling whenever making eye contact with friends as they passed. “Baby, you know me, I’m a simple man — anything involving puppies and I’m in,” Jules replied with an enthusiastic grin, squeezing her hand in his grasp. “They’re also doing pottery stuff at Blank Slate,” he added, bumping his shoulder against hers, “Just like our first date… kind of a throwback, hm? We could do puppy yoga and pottery. Make a fun day of it. Whaddya think?”

[briarreed]

Briar pulled a face, her brows creasing in the middle as if to silently say, I'll always worry about you. Her features smoothed with the quick peck to her cheek, smoothing warmth and affection over the creases until she was nothing more than batted lash, smiles, and her head leaning against his arm. Briar tilted her head backward, a wide smile, "Fifteen?!" She whistled and promptly rolled her eyes, jostling him gently with her hip. "If you take 'em all down on horseshoes and lawn darts, then you'd really fit the bill," Briar teased back with a shake of her head. At the mention of Geena Davis, her face scrunched up, a scowl directed his way over exaggerated as ever, her hands on her hips. She did not drop the scowl, even as he recovered with a quick compliment that made her heart flutter. Briar shook her head, closing the space between them so they were face to face. She pressed up on the tips of her toes; damn, where was her special stool when she needed it? Pressing up as tall as she could, Briar smoothed her features into the amicable and dreamy expression of a woman in love; "I'm going to make you regret those words," her voice was a sultry whisper with no threat behind them, her finger curling around the collar of his shirt, with the absence of an ascot she pulled him down pressing a warm kiss to his cheek, "I don't have to be playing baseball to wear something like that," she suggested in a low whisper, just for him to hear before falling back on her feet. Smoothing her hand over his shirt, she batted her lashes innocently up at him.

Briar rubbed his shoulder where his hand had just been, she wondered what the limits of their strengths were? Hurdling a horse seemed to push his, at least to some small measure that made her wonder the limits they held. Still rubbing his arm, she gave it a small squeeze, "A hot bat," she answered knowingly, her eyes dropping the length of his body and lingering over his shorts. "I do say so," Briar insisted with a firm nod and blowing out a breath, "My familiar came as she was. She'd never been a kitten...but the book I read says about twelve months. So Posie is still a baby." Briar had been ever thankful for Posie, the menacing fluff of white and pounce that had been gifted to her; the sort of gift that soothed the loss of her familiar in a way she hadn't allowed herself to consider too much. She still missed other parts of it.

Being able to teleport as she wished, sure she was fast now, but fast didn't count for what she felt she lost. And the electricity; she found herself missing that jolt of electricity that had once been so innate to her, and now the closest she got was sliding her socks across the carpet. Nothing was the same, but nothing was technically worse either. Not when she looked up into familiar blue hues and found easy comfort and peace. "Mhm," Briar hummed thoughtfully, kissing him back a smile broke as their lips parted with a sigh. Briar twirled a fingers through a curl that fell over his brow, twisting and releasing it gently back into place, "That's all you ever have to do," she soothed, her fingers sweeping gently down the side of his face, to cup his cheek. "Always. Forever, unceasingly..." Briar listed, "when I make up my mind, I'm all in, invariably," Briar concluded, her palms securely at his back, she sighed dreamily, "You seem flustered, tiger," she pointed, her cheek dropping towards the shoulder he'd just kissed, eyes sweeping up his face as if to say all she wouldn't dare utter aloud with so many ears around.

Briar did not need to be asked twice; she was ready to leave. Home could have meant her apartment or his, they spent so much time between each never really a part these days that home to her now just meant wherever Jules was. She nodded, "For a long while, it was all I thought I'd have and all I was supposed to want," in the end, she didn't recognize it anymore. What had once been everything to her, had become something so unrecognizable that in the end she questioned if it was ever meant for her at all. Briar's chest tightened at the sight of all the vulnerability he wore on his face. Let me take some of it, she wanted to say. Urge him to lay it in her arms, he did not need to be Atlas with the world on his shoulders. Not when she was there to weather it with him. Embracing she offered a delicate smile, her hands pressed against his biceps, "Have you seen me?" she teased, flipping her fiery waves over her shoulder for effect, her words light but her expression tender and weighted, "I wouldn't be with someone who wasn't the best man. You don't doubt me right?" She pointed gently, "Trust me, " Briar whispered as their foreheads pressed together, "I love you, Jules," she answered slipping her hand easily into his.

The further out they got from the cookout, the more skip in Briar's step, "Oh yes, a whole day of it and end it with the talent show," She said, grasping his arm with her other hand, "Puppies, art and a duet..." Briar agreed, but first there was a bath calling their name and the desire to sneak away from the rest of the town for a few hours at least.

[TIME SKIP PUPPY YOGA]

Night eventually gave way to morning by the time Briar untangled lithe limbs from Julian's, peppering kisses to his face, "Puppy time," she urged as she stretched and wasted no time dressing. Picking up last night's discarded clothing, she shoved them in a hamper before grabbing her yoga clothes to quickly dress. She went through her morning ritual, washing her face, braiding her hair away from her face, brushing her teeth before feeding Posie and putting on a pot of coffee. Some rituals, even the ones she didn't necessarily need anymore, were too engrained in her to give up. Even if it wasn't the same, Briar enjoyed coffee for the warmth it gave and the smell it filled the air with.

Grabbing her bag, she went to find Jules, "You ready to get limber while a bunch of fluffy, tail-wagging pups try to lick your face?" she was practically bouncing on her heels, up and down as she waited for him to join her. The walk to the studio was pleasant, filled with Briar insistently talking about the night before and all the ways she'd stuck her foot in her mouth. By the time she got to the brownie's and Ralph they were checking into the class and setting up moments before the puppies would come out to join, "What is your dream dog?" she asked as she sat cross legged on her pat, cranning her neck to try and see if she could spot a glimpse of the puppies from where she could hear their little playful growls and barks.

[akiss-from-a-rose]

"What on earth is a Daphne?" Aaliyah asked, her voice drawling out the question. "And why is she hiding all the contraband? I thought this party was supposed to be fun." She smirked. "I don't think I'm afraid of stabby much, these days." Not that she'd ever admit to, at least. She couldn't have the baby vamps thinking that she knew anything about fear, just like she refused to let them know how old she actually was. "So are... Jules and Stanley two different entities, or is that your special nickname for him? I hope the latter; he's a nice enough one to keep around." Even if he did give out silly little bracelets. Silly little bracelets that Aaliyah still had on, actually. She was endeared, though she'd be staked for real before she admitted it. "It'll pass. The... worry about whose vein it came out of. Or you'll find ways to make it pass." Or there was another option, but it wasn't kind to think about, and Aaliyah was, at least, trying to be on good behavior. "If you're going to call it something, might as well have fun with it."

[briarreed]

"A laurel tree," Briar answered but nodded towards the witch in question. She'd only met her in passing and had no opinion on her other than the one she'd shared with Aaliyah. Briar shrugged, "Maybe she has a super high tolerance," Briar smiled, fun was somewhat a subject term these days. She'd not yet figured out what that looked like for her, like this. It was easier around other vampires, when the hunger was a dull throb she could ignore, not heightened with the warm bodies all around. When it was quieter, it was even better. She had never realized how loud the world was before. Now everything had a sound she hadn't quit learned how to tune it all out yet. She was getting better. It was getting easier. Briar balked, her expression one of momentary alarm followed by an understanding smile, "No, no. I don't call him Stanley," she held up her blue cup, revealing the logo. "It's my cup of O, it was Jules's idea for spending so much time around so many people," she explained quietly, taking a small sip as to demonstrate. Briar nodded, "Was it ever difficult for you? When you first turned?"

[rxmiddlemasx]

"Are they....are they pot brownies?" Tipping his sunglasses down the bridge of his nose, which was smeared with zinc sun-coat, Ralph offered a wide grin. "Nah, nah. You eat it. Middlemas Rule 1, Briar. Let 'em eat cake." He did not actually seem to know what the meaning of this phrase was, just that it sounded vaguely apropos. Still, perusing the table, Ralph snagged a cookie and took a hearty bite, speaking through a mouthful of crumbs. "Someone took my goddamn slingshot, so I'm gonna try and steal it back. Or go set off some fireworks. It's still July. I'm bein' real patriotic, ya dig it?" He hummed, sniffing. "You wanna come?" He needed to make noise. He needed to be a nuisance. Ever since Mason's passing, he had been finding ways to scream: notice me, notice me. My world is frozen; stop moving on. "You do know how to light a firework, don't ya? The old-fashioned way. I ain't talkin' fire magic. Unless you know someone who'd let me borrow some. That'd be kinda swell."

[briarreed]

Briar wrinkled her nose, "I'm confident this brownie is like sixty percent pot-" she tilted her head towards Ralph curiously, "Do you think it would have a major effect on me ya know since the whole not alive, higher tolerance thing? Or would I need to be carried home?" She raised a brow not totally sure if she wanted to risk it. "I think someone lost their head because of that phrasing, actually," Briar tore off a corner of the brownie and took a small testing bite, "There is no proof Marie actually said that. Did you know that?" Briar absently tore another piece, "Qu'ils mangent de la brioche was first in a novel by Rousseau; let them eat brioce," she lamented on prattling absently and suddenly putting down the brownie when she realized she'd eaten near half of it. "Rousseau attributed it to a great princess when Marie was only a child," she shrugged, "Didn't stop her from losing her head tho," she said drawing her thumb across her throat with a sigh. "Freedom from England, tea in the harbor, red white and blue," Briar joked giving a nod, "What were you going to do with a sling shot?" She whispered in shock, "Very Denis the menace of you, right?" Briar brushed her hands off and looped an arm through Ralphs, "Let's go do something productive with your energy, Ralph...I do know how to light a firework but I do not have a lighter, we would have to steal one."

[thelatekayejames]

≽·≼

"I don't mind, at all. It's an ideal spot for a break, that's why I picked it," they added. "Certainly, and I'll be happy to show you, feel free to pick whatever flowers you want, I got a lot of them this morning just for this..." They offered her the bag, an assortment of the sturdier blossoms they could find from Just In Bloom. Briar was a reliably soothing person to be around, they'd found in their limited acquaintance, although as she settled down, there was an edge of melancholy to her emotions that Kui hadn't noticed before. They considered asking directly, but aside from feeling invasive, it probably wouldn't help her relax any. They did, however, take note of them, and the team colours she wore... Briar was the Supreme's sister, they remembered all too well from Kyle's attack on them, and his subsequent death, but they could only remember her as a witch. Perhaps they'd only assumed so? "Forgive me if this is old news, but you're a vampire?" they asked, hoping it wasn't too tender of a subject. "I say that without judgment, I quite enjoy the company of vampires and I'm Resurrected, so. Death and conditional immortality aren't strangers to me, but if it's something you don't wish to talk about, please don't hesitate to tell me so."

[briarreed]

Briar crossed her legs and wordlessly plucked a few flowers she thought would look pretty on the head of a tall man with blue eyes. Briar softened as she plucked blooms and began weaving them together. The methodical approach to flower weaving filled up the space in her mind, the discomfort of her predicament weaving into the narrow spaces left for grief to sink against her methodical attempts at distraction. Flower over flowe until it slowly took shape into something beautiful. She had been silent a short while when Kui asked with all the tender respect she hadn't expected in a town where things such as this were considered so commonplace. Briar's hands stilled over a bloom and she swept her gaze slowly up, "You can ask," she answered while quietly adding more flowers into the wreath. She took a small breath, "It's new. It happened May twenty-third," Briar recalled somewhat distantly, tho she could still feel herself dying even now. She wasn't supposed to be here, some fluke of magic saved her, but by that logic she shouldn't have died either. She'd never paused long to think about the abnormality of Lunar cove, of supernatural things as it was simply so in the advent of her life. However, more and more since her death, Briar had been thinking of what if, a thought she often smothered out as what if could not bring her anything more than somber longing for things she'd never have. Briar instead made the choice to focus on what she did have, what she would always have. Still, the phantom ache of the witch she was existed inside of her, a private mausoleum to the life she didn't get to have. To every choice that was taken from her when a curse ended her life before she had the chance to make the choice for herself. "What's it like?" Briar asked while lifting her eyes to Kui's face, "I wonder how similar both experiences are, but I've never been sure if it's rude to ask or not... I mean, I don't find it rude, I would rather be asked than assumed, ya know?"

[ofbloodandsnow]

Using two fingers to turn the page right way round again, Tommy just grinned in response. Assembling IKEA furniture was his idea of a good time. Methodical but still tactile and then you also get a great finished product. What wasn't to love? "I got it," he grabbed the rolling screw-like object and setting it with the others. "Oh, come on - this is fun. How about we finish this and get pizza? Because I have a method and everything. Trust me," he patted her leg sympathetically, "once you get the hang of it, it's easy. We'll ace it."

[briarreed]

Briar tucked her hair behind her ears and shifted so her legs were tucked under her body so she could sit up on her knees. "Okay, your idea of fun should be studied," she smiled warmly and looked over at the instructions with a frown. "Is that correct?" She grimaced, attempting to connect two pieces that looked like they should fit and did not line up. Briar pushed feeling the material begin to split in her palms with little effort she dropped with a groan and stood to pace the floor. "Okay, I'm going to let you take lead because I'm just going to accidentally break something."

[cantfightmoonlight]

"Well, I wouldn't know, would I? Are you trying to rub it in that you claimed the last one? Because I can just go to Sucré and buy a whole cake if I want to," She asked with a raised brow. "I wouldn't know. I don't do drugs, though I assume you can bake anything into a brownie," She shrugged, having never had a pot brownie presented to her to be able to sniff to even know that it had a smell.

"I never said that it wasn't?" Bri counted, as she motioned with a tilt of her head over towards a far off table away from the crowd. Only as Briar continued on, Bri resisted the urge to pinch the brim of her nose. "Oh my fucking god. I am going to go. I'm going to go," She decided as she was met with an unexpected rant from her friend for no reason. "I came over here for a cupcake and to chat with my friend and check in to see how she was doing. Not for whatever the hell this is. But, for the record, I have no problem with Julian. I actually think he's sweet and it's nice having someone else in the Clan whose new at this too, because there is nothing wrong with being new at this or feeling like you don't know what you're doing. All I was saying is that we're probably not the best people to go to when it comes to teaching anyone how to be vampires, because we haven't been vampires for that long. I thought him and I were in the same boat, just like I thought you and I are, but clearly I was wrong. So, have fun with your support system. God forbid I thought you, Julian and I could go through this together," She said as she grabbed a brownie from the table taking a bite out of it before she turned to walk off.

Only, for her to stop short when Briar told her she had forever. She knew the words were meant to be reassuring, but when she heard them, all she could do was look straight ahead, keeping her jar tensed to prevent the tears that began to well around her eyes from falling. She didn't want forever. She wanted to grow old with her human boyfriend. She wanted to be able to have kids one day or see her parents. She didn't want to keep struggling for the rest of her fucking life while every other vampire she met reminded her of how fucking easy it was for them seeing that they weren't reborn broken. Briar's body took the change. It embraced it. While every day, Bri felt like something inherently wrong with her, because she was never supposed to be this. The taste of blood made her feel sick to her stomach unless it was fresh from the source and, when she started to feed from someone's veins, she wasn't sure she'd be able to stop. She had blacked out and killed someone. Whose to say it wouldn't happen again? "You really don't get it. I don't want forever. I just- I'm glad you have Julian, But, I can't be here right now," She shook her head once more.

[briarreed]

Briar raised a brow, "Never?" she asked, curious; even though she had experimented with pot and found edibles to be better at getting her to sleep back before she shredded her human life. Briar sighed, her shoulders dropping at Bri's reaction. Her desire to protect her boyfriends private inner most feelings and thoughts from becoming over heard, talked about without his knowledge had unfurled into something she did not intend. Briar instantly felt a wash of guilt, "Bri, please wait," she lamented, following quickly after her friend, raking her fingers through her hair. "I didn't mean it that way, I'm sorry," she insisted earnestly, "I just- our experiences our all our own and I don't want to assume about his or yours...but we can be there for one another," she softened, dropping her head towards her shoulder. "You have me and Jules is always a great support system...maybe we're all the best support for one another, because it is new to us three." She frowned deeply, watching as Bri stopped.

Briat closed the space turning to face Bri, "I get it," she softened, "I accepted forever when I committed to the Supreme thing, but I would have done anything for Jules and I to have, had normal human lives." Her voice stretched thin, "This is the one we got and I'm just trying to make the best of it, find the silver linings in something that takes so much from us," Briar explained gently. She had wanted forever with Julian one day, because he had forever. But it didn't mean she hadn't had dreams of the two of them living human lives. Moving back to Queens to be near his family, her taking a job at The Morgan Library, him focusing on his art, featuring in galleries all over the city. Maybe they would have one day married with both their families there to see, a spring wedding, one where he and his mother could have the mother son dance he deserved. A life full of art, first times and maybe children. She blinked against the reverie of what could have been, would have been and swallowed. "You do have me Bri...I'm sorry I got defensive. That wasn't fair to you. I'm on edge lately, more guarded but I shouldn't be that way with you. I don't have to be like that with you."

[briarreed]

Briar & Cece - Lunar Cove event free day by the water @cecevandoren

Briar sat in the warm sand, watching the world move around her with intense predictability that tugged on the strings of her heart either way. The ebb and flow of the ocean tides, the crescendo of laughter she could hear crisply through her loops. She twirled her ring around her finger, her face turned towards the sun; not everything had to be different, did it? "Can you pass me that shovel?" she asked, deciding to pass her time before the talent show building a sand castle like she had done on many trips to the beach with her stepfather when she was a girl.

[briarreed]

Briar and Poppy @moonglowmagic

She'd not expected the olive branch, nor would she turn it down. Crawling through the mud had left her dirty, but their success had given them a behemoth on wheels. Looking around at the rest of the accommodations, Briar felt a small simmer of guilt over what she had when others had so little, and instead of showering in her home for the weekend, she took a spare set of clothes and her shower supplies to the public restrooms where she showered the mud away before returning to the RV, hair still damp she sat at the table, nudging Poppy gently as she did, "Hey," she spoke tentatively, "Do you want some tea? I can make it the way you like," Briar offered with a small, hopeful smile.

[julianrchandlerx]

“Yeah, yeah, you know, all the gooey, ‘we’re one person’ relationship stuff,” he said, anchoring her close to his side. This whole event had been a blast, and also taxing in several ways. Namely in the, carrying a massive horse over hurdles way, but Julian was grateful for this reprieve. Here, close to the one he loved, who kept him feeling calm and unlike he was breaking apart. Some days that was how it had felt. Despite his broad grins and sunny disposition, there was unimaginable hurt. Loss after loss felt so vividly and strongly by the vampire, who tried his hardest to be the picture of optimism. Centered. He owed it to Briar, entering this new life and learning how to deal with everything that came with it, to be a strong support for her to lean on. As always, he pushed things deep, as deep as they can go, and acted the way he thought needed to be. But Briar knew him, knew his heart and his struggles, even if he didn’t voice them to her. She made him feel safe, seen, heard and understood. As he hoped he made her feel. “I guess that’s okay. What’s mine is yours, right? Speaking of—” Julian flicked the Stanley in her hands, a light metallic sound accompanying his movements, “—How’s this working for you? Making things a little more bearable?” He’d made sure before they left each day to have a fresh cup for her, ready for Briar to sip on should the need arise. Something he’d rarely done for himself. Taking her hand, he drew them away from the dessert table and to a less occupied corner of the party to be alone. At least, as alone as they could be at a crowded barbecue.

Jules shook his head slowly, giving her hand a supportive squeeze. “I already did what I came out to do — whoop some asses at corn hole,” his dimples deepened as he spoke, clearly proud of his efforts, “I think we’ve done the whole proper round of pleasantries. ‘Sides — I have the biggest hankering to go home and watch Field of Dreams now.” He couldn’t help the dramatic mock eye roll at her words, leaning back a bit with the effort before looming forward towards her once more. “I love you, baby, and I think you’re right like all the time, but I don’t think cats can have complexes,” he said with a sideways smile, pulling her then into the loop of his arms. He held her loosely against his chest, enough room for her to wiggle about if she wanted while still wrapping himself around her, and sighed at her words. “She makes such a mess when I’m trying to paint,” a reference to the mischievous kitten knocking over his dirty paint waters while he worked. When he worked — goddamn artist block. “I swear she hates me or something.” Cats were creatures that truly mystified and evaded him, and he lived in a town with werewolves and faeries.

With a warm smile, Jules pressed a soft kiss to Briar’s forehead. “You’ve been doing amazing,” he said confidently, hands moving to her upper arms and giving them a light squeeze. “I know you, you’re the toughest most smartest girl I’ve ever known. If anyone’s gonna get this vampire thing in the bag, it’s you.” He smiled a bit more bashfully as he added, “And maybe you’ll spare me some of those secrets.” He had some personal reservations of his own, things he was slowly contending with, but he didn’t voice them. Not now. Not when he was trying to bolster her during a time he was sure was very uncomfortable. Julian nodded along to her words, pausing as he registered the last. In an instant his face turned a deep shade of crimson, Julian’s blue eyes frantically looking around the party at those near. Those with supernatural hearing, or worse telepathy, that could clue into what was being said and the thoughts it roused in him. “Briar-Rose Reed,” he almost squeaked her name in a hushed tone. “We’re at your sister’s house, surrounded by so many people, and I’m in like the tiniest shorts I own! You’re gonna get me in trouble,” his words melted into quiet laughter as he leaned in close to her, his hands having moved down to her waist to keep her rather close. Of course her small comment was enough to open the flood gates of suggestive boyish thoughts, causing Julian to bury his face into her neck to hide the embarrassment coloring his features. Kissing her there on her sister’s, and his best friend’s, property was already as daring as he would go — having her subtly put that on his mind was a tad unfair.

“Yeah, the quiet does sound good” he sighed, pulling back from her embrace as he attempted to focus elsewhere, and not the direction his thoughts took. “You, me, and the impish snowball, in a cuddle pile on the couch with like a good movie or show to binge. Sounds like a good night to me. But we don’t have to go if you’re not ready.” He looked back at the others, at the merriment enveloping them. “It’s been a wild couple days, huh? Ya know, I’m not even mad we lost at some stuff. I mean, I’d be devastated if we lost at baseball, but like… I dunno, maybe it’s lame. I just feel like being a part of something like this was enough.” He shrugged a shoulder, “First time in a while I felt kinda like me again.” The Julian Chandler that existed before Lunar Cove. The Field Days brought him back to the golden years of his high school career; the star player on the lacrosse team, the camaraderie of being in a sports team. Sure, he wasn’t doing his ultimate passion much, pushing back the art in favor of being the strapping athlete son his dad coveted, but… He did have good times, good memories of it. Maybe he really did peak in high school.

[briarreed]

Briar tilted her head back to look at him, her nose scrunching before her face smoothed into a smile, her head dropping lazily against his body, "I've grown pretty spoiled with the gooey relationship stuff. You'll just have to keep it up," Briar warmed, feeling as if she could finally exhale a breath she had been holding. It had been less than two months since the curse had taken her old life and thrown her back out into the deep in, sink or swim. She was tired of trending water, wanting to lay out and float on the surface, and sometimes felt like it was within grasp. Little things, Ralph's lessons, Posie, the people who surrounded her in love and understanding, Julian, they made it easier to adjust, and if she just focused on that, concentrate on all the sweet parts that she had gained, then maybe she could move on from the loss of her magic. Let go of the fact that not everyone would see her loss as anything significant because she had wanted this life. Maybe not the vampire parts, but the parts where she could exist with the man she loved without worrying about the march of time taking her from him sooner than she was ready. The undead part was a fact of their existence she would come to terms with, a fact that she would learn to live with; maybe she'd forever mourn the would-have-been, could-have-been version of their lives if neither of them had died. Briar focused on what they could and would have instead of their losses. She nodded in answer, "Yes, it's how I look at it anyway," she admitted with a shrug. She'd recently borrowed enough of his shirts that she was sure a fair amount of them were currently tucked away in drawers at her apartment. "Yes, I wouldn't have thought of it," she admitted with a furrow of her brow, almost like she was embarrassed to admit it, "Do you want some?" she asked, offering the cup, "there is plenty, and It's not so much an issue right now."

Briar didn't hesitate to follow Julian's direction, finding a small corner of space away from peering eyes. "Oh?" she questioned with a prideful smile as she peered up at his face, "Tell me, how many people did you beat?" Briar encouraged, her fingers running up and down his bicep as she spoke. "We can watch as many baseball movies as you want. You earned it," she swept her eyes over his shoulders and down his arms, "How are you feeling after carrying a horse to victory? Like maybe a hot bath is in order? Or are you all recovered now?" Briar questioned in a dulcet tone, eyes sweeping up to his face. "I love you," she replied, giggling fondly as she was being looped into his arms, "She loves you," Briar lamented insistently, her hands on his chest as she placed her weight against his forearms, "She's mirroring you," Briar explained blowing a raspberry, "Jules, she adores you. I'm sure she brought in a mouse the other day to try and feed you." Briar tilted her head towards her shoulder, "We can get suction cups to stick to things so she can't swat the paint cups over...museum paste, maybe?" She suggested with a gentle sigh.

Briar's chest fluttered as if time slowed, and comfort blanketed her. She collected his praises with a flutter of her lashes and a dreamy sigh, "What's mine is yours. Remember?" She answered that whatever secrets she had or would have were his. She felt he had equal rights to whatever belonged to her. "I think you're doing great," Briar softened, gently tugging a wave of his hair and pushing it back. None of this was easy, the death of your human life while being thrown into something so strange and demanding, something that took so much from you at the same time. He had handled it with so much humility, unwavering kindness, and doting that she needed him to know whatever he had inside of him that he'd yet to share, yet to let out she could hold it for him too. "There is no manual for this, but we're in it together, and you'll always have me," Briar concluded, squeezing his biceps to reassure him as her words tapered off. "What?" Briar feigned innocence, her eyes sweeping about the cookout. She didn't really mind where they were, enjoying the flush of color that invaded his cheeks. Briar pressed closer in his arms, her hands above his hips, "I am well aware of the teeny tiny shorts. They're working for you," Briar complimented coyly. Briar erupted into quiet laughter, smoothing her hands up and down his back as he buried his face in her neck.

Briar shifted up and down, from the tips of her toes to the balls of her feet, "Field of dreams and our menace cat is sorta calling to me," Briar chewed against her cheek. Briar followed his eyes around, landing back on him. She shook her head, "It's not lame at all," she assured him, "I liked feeling like I was part of something too," Briar admitted, knowing she had not felt connected to anything like this, perhaps since her mother had died. With the year anniversary of her death not long past, Briar had been thinking of her more often. She wondered what would have become of her relationship with her mother had she lived to see what Briar was now. Would she have become estranged from her as she had Poppy? She imagined it possible but knew there was no part of her life she was willing to change where the man before her was concerned. Her fingers swept behind his ear and looped comfortably around his neck. His doubts, grief, and longings, all the parts of him he felt he lost when he died, the parts he had gained even if they were more challenging to see; they were all parts of the man she loved. She smiled up at him, "Babe," she started gently, "All parts of you that have ever existed will always be you. The person here with me now, the boy in Queens, the man you'll be in twenty minutes and many years..." she hated he felt disconnected from the parts of himself, the parts of him he'd recalled with such fondness. She wanted him to be able to hold onto it longer. To be able to access it whenever he had trouble feeling what Briar knew to be true, "You're the best man I know," she added, "Giving it your all in all these games, in joining," she said while twirling her bracelet around her wrist, "you're impressive. Especially during baseball," Briar stepped into him, "You deserve to hold onto that feeling you have now, and when you can't seem to find it, I'll have it, okay?" She assured, "I'll always remember and remind you as needed," Briar pressed up on her toes, giving him a sweet peck on the lips, "Let's go." Briar took his hands in hers, "I heard they're doing puppy yoga on Thursday," Briar lingered to see is reaction, "I think we should go.."